02484nas a2200253 4500008004100000245015800041210006900199260002000268300001100288490000600299520155400305653001101859653002601870653001901896653002501915653000901940100002301949700002801972700002202000700001702022700002702039700002602066856013802092 2018 eng d00aCulturally transmitted song exchange between humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae) in the southeast Atlantic and southwest Indian Ocean basins0 aCulturally transmitted song exchange between humpback whales iMe cApr-16-20182023 a1723050 v53 a

In migratory marine species, investigating population connectivity and structure can be challenging given barriers to dispersal are less evident and multiple factors may influence individual movement patterns. Male humpback whales sing a song display that can provide insights into contemporary connectivity patterns, as there can be a cultural exchange of a single, population-wide shared song type with neighbouring populations in acoustic contact. Here, we investigated song exchange between populations located on the east and west coasts of Africa using 5 years of concurrent data (2001–2005). Songs were qualitatively and quantitatively transcribed by measuring acoustic features of all song units and then compared using both Dice’s similarity index and the Levenshtein distance similarity index (LSI) to quantitatively calculate song similarity. Song similarity varied among individuals and potentially between populations depending on the year (Dice: 36–100%, LSI: 21–100%), suggesting varying levels of population connectivity and/or interchange among years. The high degree of song sharing indicated in this study further supports genetic studies that demonstrate interchange between these two populations and reinforces the emerging picture of broad-scale connectivity in Southern Hemisphere populations. Further research incorporating additional populations and years would be invaluable for better understanding of fine-scale, song interchange patterns between Southern Hemisphere male humpback whales.

10aAfrica10acultural transmission10ahumpback whale10apopulation structure10asong1 aGarland, Ellen, C.1 aCarvajal, Gabriella, A.1 aKing, Carissa, D.1 aCollins, Tim1 aRazafindrakoto, Yvette1 aRosenbaum, Howard, C. uhttp://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rsos.172305https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1098/rsos.17230501591nas a2200205 4500008004100000245006900041210006900110260001600179520096600195653002101161653001901182653002901201653001501230653002101245653001001266100002101276700002801297700001701325856004301342 2018 eng d00aIncorporating tides into the acoustic ecology of humpback whales0 aIncorporating tides into the acoustic ecology of humpback whales cOct-10-20193 a

North Pacific humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate annually to foraging grounds in Southeast Alaska that are characterized by semidiurnal tidal cycles. Tidal activity is an important driver of marine mammal behavior on foraging grounds, but is often omitted in studies of acoustic ecology. To better understand the role of sound in this vocal species we investigated the influence of tidal height and direction on humpback whale nonsong calling behavior in Frederick Sound and described new call types for this population. The likelihood of detecting a call from the low‐frequency‐harmonic, pulsed, or noisy‐complex call classes was independent of tidal activity. The likelihood of detecting a call from the tonal call class, and a feeding call in particular, was 2.1 times higher during flood tides than during ebb tides (95% CI 1.1–4.4). This likely reflects an indirect relationship between humpback whale foraging and tides.

10aacoustic ecology10ahumpback whale10aMegaptera novaean- gliae10arepertoire10aSoutheast Alaska10atides1 aBarlow, Dawn, R.1 aFournet, Michelle, E.H.1 aSharpe, Fred uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.12534